BolognaFiere Makes Bologna RAW WINE’s Only Italian Venue in 2027

BolognaFiere has signed a partnership with RAW WINE that will bring the natural wine fair’s only Italian stop to Bologna during Slow Wine Fair, scheduled for February 21-23, 2027.

The agreement adds another international component to Slow Wine Fair, which BolognaFiere organizes with Slow Food and Slow Wine and which will run alongside Sana Food. BolognaFiere said RAW WINE will create a dedicated exhibition area in Pavilion 20 for international producers of natural, organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines.

The deal reflects a broader push by BolognaFiere to expand its wine events business and strengthen its position in a competitive market for trade fairs and consumer events. The company said the partnership is meant to reinforce Slow Wine Fair’s international profile and make the event a stronger meeting point for artisanal, sustainable and independent wine production.

RAW WINE was founded by Isabelle Legeron, a French Master of Wine, and has built a global network focused on producers who work with limited intervention in the vineyard and cellar. According to BolognaFiere, the organization brings together more than 2,000 artisanal winegrowers and stages events in major wine markets across Europe, North America and Asia. Under the new partnership, Bologna will become its exclusive Italian venue.

BolognaFiere said the agreement is based on a shared approach to wine production. Slow Wine Fair draws on Slow Food’s principles of “good, clean and fair” wine, while RAW WINE promotes products made through farming and production methods that protect biodiversity. Both groups focus on wineries that use sustainable agricultural practices and limited cellar intervention, with the aim of preserving a wine’s link to grape variety, place and producer.

Legeron said the partnership will support the movement for organic, biodynamic, natural and low-intervention wines. She said RAW WINE sees a close alignment with Slow Food’s mission and wants to help broaden awareness of alternatives to industrial food and drink systems.

The new RAW WINE section is expected to give exhibitors access to a trade audience that includes importers, specialized distributors, wine merchants, sommeliers and professionals in restaurants and hospitality. BolognaFiere said tastings and masterclasses will be part of the program to encourage exchanges between wineries and buyers and to highlight the featured wines.

BolognaFiere also pointed to the existing international reach of Slow Wine Fair as one of the main reasons for the alliance. At the last edition, the event hosted 350 buyers from 32 countries and recorded more than 2,000 business-to-business meetings with support from the Italian Trade Agency, known as ICE.

Rossano Bozzi, director of BolognaFiere’s business unit, said the future of trade fairs depends not only on size but also on the ability to gather clearly defined international communities, read market changes and create business opportunities for exhibitors and buyers. He said the partnership with RAW WINE is part of BolognaFiere’s effort to build in Bologna a distinctive platform for sustainable, artisanal and independent viticulture and to expand access to international markets for producers who share that approach.